Driving mechanism for clocks.



J KUHN.

BMVING MBCHANISM POR CLOCKS.

APPLICATION TILED JAN. 11, 1912. 1,037,643. Patented sept. 3, 1912.

2 SHBETS-SHEET l.

" KUHN.

'DBl'VNG MRGHAN'SSM FR CLOGKS,

APPLICATION FILED All 11, 1912l Patented Sept, 3, i912,

2 SSSETENJVLEFT L?.

seizing..

5,-..." W....`.`.L.....,.....' Law' Wl NESSES.'

f Mm 553W A further fr n is. the provision et' .means f :ii by the i' neion eze erted bv the i'fravitv voi" the el' 'lt-weight e tendant in some emergency.

,kvantageous in the actuation of the striking il y-l/Vith these. and

Ythat class operated o ing weight.

vthrough them ymovement proper `without the so-called maintaining devieee clock during?` an interim of inoperativeness @ofthe clock main' actuating devices,

..ated, in which case shouldthe JOSEPH KUHN, 0F SEATTLE, WASHNGTON, ASSIGNOR TO JO WASHINGTON. A CORPORATION 0F WASHINGTON.

SEATTLE,

IDBIVING MEGHANISM FOR CLOCKS.

Application eo Kenner? l1, i912.

Specification of Letters Yatent.

ington, have inve i fnl Improvements iffr l or Clocks, of which the following specie i cation.

yThis invention i mechanism and i.

iii

to clock-actuating y to devices of l. oi' a depend-- 1tis the.

vide silnpie ra-is'iingthe r.the source o.

before the loi. of the wei L' pending flexible connections and in turn influencing the cloel imovements is constant at all times and not removed during the period requireA by the elevationof the weight. Thus by the application ot' the invention to the clock the clock may oe heilt -upon the s:

intended to continue the functions of, the

ing the periods of rewinding, or itthese he 'introduced in the mechanism the be made operative only' at the will same may ot the at The device is'eepecially applicable and adand chinxing mechanism of clocks. ln an instance of the kind the clock may he strik ing when the weightreaches its iowermost )oint and the elevating mechanism. is actuweinht be re the snspend as the case weight has ing nie-ans, the strokes or chime?l the strokes or chiming would be ln the present invention the without relieving the striking or chiming devices of the actuating Iorcos and in auch interval the striking or chiming;` is continued wit-hout interruption. other objects in view, as

of me., ne f n'iaticaliy operative,

unrrnn srnaine PATENT onirica.

SEPH MAYER animos., or

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

serial No. 670,610.

jill hereinafter appear, the invention consists 1n the novel construction of a. clock .bed in the trailed in the '..iinaily wt forth in t ln sa id drawings,

vation, partly in secti Fig. 2 is'a front elevat the same. Fig. 3 is a 'of Fig. 2. Fig.' 4e is a. fragsent-ion of a detail Fig. 5 is a side el ing my invention.

tion of a poi-tion o top in vi inl re i

an elect-ric motor npwardly in following specification, accompanying drawings, and

he appended claims.

partly in J by rec tops by mi are forth n i ,termediately dispose il, upon which is mounted,

Said motor 1 with a vertical Shaft 7 the axis as will be fully 3 weight andthe adaptation and combination tor maintaming the same autoillus- Figure 1 is a side eleon, of ldevices embody- Y n evation o the invention. Fig. 6 i 'it elevation of Fig. 5.

. 1 to Il, inclusive, of the eienee numeral 1 designates me plates of a clock lweight and connected together at tangular base plate 2 inedially disposed bar erV secured together d transverse bars as by brackets 5, s provided which is' extended of the freine.'A and formed with a. worm 8 while its upperzextremity is formed in Fig. 4.

spection and oiling.

said shai worin 8. drei extend are keyed pairs spectively.

latter for with 'a cup 9- to recente the end of a thrust block 10 `ositioned in a Ichamber 11 in said bnr 3 as s A removable ca chamber a'ords access to the own in detail p12 for said Upon opposite sides .of

llel horizontal e plates 1 and each 14 keyed there sides with thi ach said man cat i ed manner giving shaft, nison and recticns. The wheels of each pair/15` and 16 are mounted in the and are actuated to revolve in arrows 1n indicated by the 17 of eaclmvheel are Fig. spaced to 'register w same vertical plane the directions '1. The teeth ith y'the teeth of the adjacent wheel in engaging the openings in the sprocket chains 18 of which there are two upon opposite Sides of the apparatus. Said chains are endless andare each engaged about idler sprocket Wheel 19 below the travel of the weight and about sprocket wheel 20 keyed to the main driving shaft 21 of the1l clock mechanism proper. The respective pairs of sprockets 19 and 20. are in vertical alinement and the tension side 18 of the respective chains is vertically disposed. The Weight is sus pended upon said tension side of the chains by the latter passing through the registering teeth of the toothed Wheels 15 or 16 While the sprockets 19 and 20 are formed of suflicient diameter to spread the chain to cause the loose side 18 of the chain to be clear of the weight, asfclearly shown in Fig. 3. The reference letters a and b indicate the conducting wires oan-electrical circuit including the energizing batteries' c and motoi 6. Said Wires may be included at 22 in a flexible cord 22 and connected with the respective poles of said motor at 23 to permit the reciprocation of said Weight. Interposed in said circuitis a switch d whose terminals e and f are opened and closed by Contact points g upon one arm of a lever 2l pivoted at 25 whose opposite arm 211 is att-ached to an endless cable 26 which is passed over sheaves 27 and 28 in proximity, respectively, of. the sprockets 19 and 20, the cable between such sheaves being parallel to the chain parts 18 and 18". The numeral 29 desig-l nates an arm rigidly connected at its inner end nwith the Weight and projecting outwardly into the plane of the adjacentside 26 of the cable. vSaid arm is formed with apertured endBO to receive said cable and is adapted to interfere with stops 81 and 32 at the u per andlovver extremes, respectively, ofp the Weights travel to actuate the switch in the manner desired to open or close the electric circuit. As has before been stated, the weight is suspended from the teeth 17 upon the chains 18, the resistance afforded by the Worm 8 against rotation by the gears 14 being sufficient to prevent any reverse movement and consequent descent of lthe weight relative to the chains. The'ten sion upon the chains due to the gravity of the weight suspended thereon actuates the main drlving shaft 21. which, through suitable e's`capement devices, not shown, per forms the functions in the operation of the clock to which it is applied, as will be well understood. The weight therefor descends slowly ,with the chains as the latter is drawn over the sprocket 20 until' the Weight approaches its lowermost limit whereat the arm 26 yengages the lowermost stop 32 whereuponv the cable side 26 is carried downward therewith and the opposite side correspondingly raised to vibrate the switch leyer arm 25 upwardly and opposite arm 24 with contact-g downwardly to close the electric circuit and energize the motor 6. As will be apparent, the axially disposed shaft 7 from the motor through Worm 8 acting upon oppositely disposed gears 1-1 turns the mandrels 13 and pairs of toothed Wheels 15 and 16 respectively, inopposite directions. The power thus applied causes the Weight to be elevated upon the chains 1S- until the power is again cut ofi' at the upper limit of tr'avel of the weightl'by the arm 29 of the latter contacting with the stop 31 and infiueneing the same with the attached cable upwardly to lower the arm 24" of the switch d and cut oi' the power. The weight thereupon depends inertly upon the chains by the engagement therewith of said toothed Wheels 15, 16, the fiat angle of incidence betweenvthe worm gears l/L and the Worm 8 preventing any reverse motion in the mandrels 13. It is to be noted particularly that the tension of the weight upon the chain and consequently the actuating forces upon the clock or correlating movements are constant and uniform. The seltaegulative functions of the Weight are simple, may be made noiseless and are operative Without shock or disturbance to the mechanism` of the clock proper. lt may be noted that the motor may be insulated from electrical connection with the clock movement by the proper application of suitable material, as indicated at 83. The main driving shaft 21 may likewise be insulated by equivalent devices, not shown. vProvision is aiforded for adjustment of gravity of the Weight by adding plates of varying thickness and ponderosity as shown at 34 in the views.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, a iveight is employed having diHerent but substantially equivalent devices for actuating the toothed elements 15 and 16. A motor 6 is provided having a horizontally arranged armature shaft upon which is operati'vely mounted a toothed pinion 35. in mesh With'the relatively large kgear Wheel 36 keyed upon the end of shaft 37'protruding at lone side of the rectangular frame. W'itliin said frame shaft 37 is provided with a Worm 38. Rotatably mountedr in said Jframe in superposed rectangular relation to said shaft 37 are spaced mandrels' 39 and 40 each provided With a pair of toothed Wheels 15 and 16 fixedly securedupon the oppositely projecting ends of said shafts. A Worm-gear 41 is keyedY to one fsaid mandrels, as 39, in operative'en'ga ement to be driven bv said worm 38. Sai mandrel 39 is provided vvith-a keyed gear-Wheel 4-2 and intermeshingtherewith is a like gear wheel, not shovvn', mounted upon mandrel 40 to drive the latter at a uniform .rate of speed and in the opposite rotary direction as the mandrel 39. 'lhe general construction other than that set forth, is similar lto that described hereinbefore. The o eration is substantially the same and wil be readily understood from the foregoing description.

While I have described with some detail the various arts and workin s of two embodiments o the invention, I o not wish to be understood as confining myself exactly to the same as Obviously various modifications and changes in detail as well as its application to other purposes as are within the scope of the claims may be made without sacrificing its advantages.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In driving apparatus for clocks, a chain operatively enga ed with a driving shaft, and a weight inc uding a motor suspended from said chain, and means enga cable with said chain and operable by sai motor capable of raising the weight relative to the chain.

2. Drivin apparatus for clocks, consiste ing in com ination vwith a sprocket chain operatively engaged with a drlving shaft, of

.a weight suspended from said chain comprising a frame, a motor in said frame, a pair of opipositely rotatable toothed wheels enmeshed in said chain, power connections between said motor and wheels, and means to energize said motor at a point in the travel of the weight. 4

3. Driving apparatus for clocks, consisting in combination with a s rocket chain operatively engaged with a drivin shaft, of a weight sus nded from said c ain, said weight inclu lng a motor, a pair of toothed wheels locked against reverse rotation engaged with said chain, and power connec tions between said motor and wheels, an means interposed in the travel of said weight to actuate said motor.

4. Driving apparatus for clocks, consisting in combination with a pair of sprocket 'chains operatively engaged with a driving shaft, of a weight suspended frdm''lsai chains comprising a frame, an electric inotor in said frame, a pair of oppositbl'y rotatable toothed wheels locked againstI "r- `verse rotation enrneshed in each said cham, power connections between said motn' and wheels, anV electric circuit includin said motor, and a switch interposed in said cir-' cuit opened or closed by movement of sti weight.

JOSEPH KUHN.

Witnesses E. PETERSON,

F. C. MATHENY. 

